Social Worker

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

This Social Worker position provided services to the Veteran population enrolled at the VA Maine Healthcare System. This position is located within the Mental Health Services at the VA Maine Healthcare Systems, located at the Bangor, ME location.

Duties

• Screening/Assessment - The social worker will develop an assessment of the Veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members and significant others.
• Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The social worker is responsible for developing the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family.
• Referral to service providers - Throughout the course of treatment the social worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources.
• Resource Usage/Development - The social worker is responsible for using the current social work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of veterans.
• Crisis Intervention - Social worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs.
• Education/Health promotion and prevention - Social worker provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer Veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs.
• Individual, and group therapy- Individual psychotherapy-anger management, sexual abuse in childhood and adulthood, within and outside the military; personality disorders; PTSD; Schizophrenia and mood disorders using various therapeutic venues including cognitive behavior therapy, psychodynamic therapies, systems, reality therapies, narrative techniques, and structural techniques.
• Administrative responsibilities - The social worker will enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates.

Requirements

Open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens.

Note: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part).
• Education: Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found on the OHRM website.
• Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Failure to Obtain License or Certification: In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
• Loss of Licensure or Certification: Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.